GOP strategist Karl Rove shares elections insight

TAMPA -- Karl Rove has made the trasition from Republican operative to political analyst, but his biting humor and sharp elbows style haven’t gone anywhere. Weighing in on the 2012 presidential race Monday morning, he had high praise for presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney and criticized President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign.

Rove said Obama’s approach leaves him “completely mystified” and the president has allowed the campaign to dominate too much of his time.

“This has not been a campaign in which it has been, 'Look at my record, I’m proud of my record and here is my vision for a second term,’ “ Rove told a capacity crowd at the launch of the POLITICO Convention Playbook Breakfast series.

But Rove has also been “mystified” by Romney’s response to questions about whether he pays his fair share of taxes. Romney can choose not to release additional tax returns, Rove said, but he should paint Obama’s attacks as about politics and not transparency.

Generally speaking, however, Rove praised Romney’s efforts and predicted he was headed to the White House. The Republican National Convention will help him win over voters, Rove said.

“The key thing for Mitt Romney is at the end of this convention the people say I know something about him personally that I didn’t know about him beforehand,” he said.

The hourlong question-and-answer session moderated by POLITICO chief White House correspondent Mike Allen covered lots of ground and allowed Rove to show off his historical and political knowledge. Here are some highlights:

The tea party: Focus should be on the sentiment that gave rise to the movement.

The Latino vote: Republicans can’t afford to lose such an important constituency.